Cinebarre cinema-eatery in Louisville on track for Aug. 1 opening

By Alicia Wallace

Camera Business Writer

Posted:
06/23/2014 07:41:39 PM MDT

Updated:
06/24/2014 02:42:48 PM MDT

Crews work on the exterior of the former Colony Square Cinema in Louisville, which is being renovated into a new Cinebarre movie theater — a first-run movie theater that will feature food and drink service and a full bar. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

LOUISVILLE — The conversion of the Colony Square Cinema here into Cinebarre Boulder is on schedule, and Boulder County's first cinema-eatery is scheduled to open to the public on Aug. 1, officials for the theater said Monday.

Last month, officials for the Asheville, North Carolina-based Cinebarre LLC confirmed their plans to close the Regal Colony Square Cinema 12, at 1164 W. Dillon Road, and remodel the nearly 20-year-old theater into Cinebarre Boulder — a first-run movie theater with food and drink service and a full bar.

The Louisville cinema would be the eighth location and second in Colorado for Cinebarre, which was formed in 2007 as a joint venture between entrepreneur Terrell Braly and Regal Entertainment Group.

Braly was on-site Monday at the Louisville cinema with other Cinebarre officials, who were in town in advance of a hearing before the city's Liquor Licensing Authority.

"This is the eighth Cinebarre ... but this is the one that means the absolute most to me," said Braly, who grew up in Boulder.

Braly said he's had his sights on the colonial-styled cinema since 2001, when he joined Alamo Drafthouse and expanded the Austin, Texas-based cinema-eatery.

On Monday, construction workers were overhauling the interior of the 45,000-square-foot cinema in Louisville, building a full bar in the lobby, transforming a theater into a kitchen and replacing the "Regal red" with Cinebarre black-and-gray.

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Braly declined to disclose the cost of the remodel, but said it was a significant investment in the "seven figures."

When Cinebarre Boulder is unveiled during a VIP party with celebrities on July 31 and to the public the next day, the cinema's 11 theaters will boast plush leather chairs in staggered, stadium seating; a lobby bar designed to serve theater-goers and others who want to stop in for a happy hour or for events such as trivia and open mic; and a bar and food menu tailored to the Boulder County community.

"If you're going to get people to come out for the movie experience, they want something different than what you can offer them at home," said Katie Clayton, Cinebarre's director of special events.

That experience at Cinebarre also is one geared more toward the adults. No children under 3 are allowed, except on a designated "Cry Baby Day." And children and teens between the ages of 3 and 18 are allowed only if they are accompanied by a responsible adult, Braly said.

Cinema-eateries such as those operated by Cinebarre have been gathering momentum for several years, said Patrick Corcoran, vice president and chief communications officer for the National Association of Theatre Owners.

The Washington, D.C.-based association is conducting a survey with its members about cinema-eateries, but the latest statistics indicate that there are more than 400 nationwide, he said. There are a total of 5,700 theaters across the United States.

"There isn't one audience, there are several audiences and they have different needs and different desires when they go to the movie theater," Corcoran said.

The cinema-eatery allows the theater operator to capture the revenue from the "dinner and a movie" behaviors customers already are exhibiting, he said.

The industry is expected to post revenue of $14.9 billion by the end of this year, according to IBISWorld's "Movie Theaters in the U.S." report released in April.

As online streaming services continue to cause a seepage of sales from cinemas, the movie theaters industry is expected to grow at an annualized 1.4 percent rate to reach $16 billion in 2019, according to the report.

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